


Get There Fast and Then Take it Slow

by GaeilgeRua



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Aruba - Freeform, Beach Holidays, F/M, Not Epilogue Compliant, Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-20
Updated: 2018-12-20
Packaged: 2019-09-23 07:59:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,157
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17076443
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GaeilgeRua/pseuds/GaeilgeRua
Summary: Tired of feeling like the third wheel on their respective family vacations, two enemies-turned-friends run into each other in a most unlikely place.





	Get There Fast and Then Take it Slow

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Strictly Dramione's Yuletide Magic Fest. Thank you so much to Meiri for her super fast beta skills and again helping me with the title and summary. Any errors after she looked it over are my own.
> 
> Prompt: Post War EWE; Hermione and Draco meet accidentally at a tropical vacation destination when they both decide to escape their families for the holidays
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own anyone recognisable from the HP world. I also do not own the title as it's lyrics from Kokomo by The Beach Boys.

                                                                 

Hermione watched quietly as her parents finally departed for their parasailing excursion.

Before her mom closed the car door, she leaned her head back out and asked, “Are you sure you don’t want to join us?”

Shaking her head vehemently, Hermione replied, “Nope, I’ll fly in a plane, but I’m keeping my feet planted firmly on the ground otherwise. You two have fun. You know what, why don’t the two of you just take the rest of the day for yourselves?” Hermione suggested as she stood up and made her way over to her parent’s rental car and grasped the top of the door. “After you go parasailing then you can do whatever you want. And then go out to dinner by yourselves, and I'll see you tonight whenever you get back.”

Her parents looked at each other over the top of the rental car as her father had not even opened the door to the driver side.

“Pumpkin?” Hermione's father questioned.

“Are you sure you don't mind being by yourself the rest of the day?”

Hermione chuckled as she leaned over the top of the door and kissed her mum's cheek. “I’m twenty-nine, I think I can handle being by myself in Aruba for the rest of the day while you guys go enjoy yourselves.”

“If you're sure…”

“I insist,” Hermione told her parents. “Go have fun, and I will see you later tonight.”

“Love you, dear,” her mum said, kissing her cheek.

“Love you both,” Hermione replied blowing a kiss to her father.

The young witch stepped back to allow her parents to leave before turning and making her way back into the condo. Since she had the rest of the day to herself, she decided to grab a book and her towel before heading to the beach just down the way to catch some rays and do a bit of light reading.

* * *

Walking towards the door, Draco called over his shoulder, “I'm heading out for the rest of the day so you two can have the alone time you obviously want.” He rolled his eyes as he tried to hide the grin tugging at corners of his mouth. “I will see you later this evening.”

“Are you going to join us for dinner, darling?” Narcissa asked.

“No,” Draco replied shifting the beach towel under his arm, “you two enjoy yourselves, and I will see you late this evening.” Opening the door of their condo and calling his goodbyes over his shoulder, he shook his head at his parents' amorous antics missing Narcissa quietly asking Lucius if he had given Draco the birds and bees talk. An indignant snort was Lucius’ reply as they were finally left alone.

He closed the door behind him and slowly made his way toward the beach he and his parents had spent the evening on the night before. It had been relatively empty at that time with only a dozen or so people enjoying the setting sun and the soft sounds of the ocean lapping against the warm sand. Now though, the beach was much busier, and Draco looked for a place where he could lay out his towel.

As Draco made his way toward the far end of the beach where there were fewer people, he let his mind wander to his parents. While he had to get out of the condo, he couldn’t begrudge them the way they were acting towards each other as up until a couple of weeks ago; his father was still in Azkaban fulfilling the last of his ten-year sentence from the Second War.

Their family healer had suggested a family trip to somewhere warm to get out of the damp and cold English air, so here they were on an island in the Caribbean Sea to help his father regain his health.

He was a couple hundred meters from the far end of the beach when he spied a beautiful bronzed goddess relaxing on her own towel. She was lying on her front with a book open in front of her that she was absorbed in. Her dark hair was piled on the top of her head in a wild bun with curly strands escaping to fall down her back and around her face. Draco might not want to be around his parents while they were being amorous, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t up for a bit of fun himself.

Moving around the last person between him and the beauty that had captured his attention, Draco carefully came to a stop next to the standard beach towel that could be found in any of the condos within walking distance of this beach. From this short distance, he could make out more details of the bright teal swimsuit she wore, and he liked what he saw even more now.

“Mind if I join you?”

* * *

She stiffened at the sound of a voice she hadn’t expected to hear 7,500 kilometres from home. Placing her bookmark between the pages, she closed her book and looked up at the man who had stopped next to her. She looked up to find a dark figure towering over her.

Lowering her sunglasses to get a better view, she gasped at who she found standing there. “Malfoy?”

The blond wizard’s golden eyebrows shot up towards his hairline as he removed his own sunglasses. He was stunned into silence for a few moments until Hermione shifted and sat up on her towel. “Granger? What are you doing here?”

She chuckled as she gestured to the sand next to her. “I would think that’s obvious. I’m on holiday with my parents. What about you? Are you here with your family? Join me.”

“Yes,” Draco replied as he placed his towel next to Hermione’s and sat down. “Our family healer suggested somewhere warm while my father regains his strength after returning home.”

“That makes sense,” Hermione said. “How is your father doing?”

“He’s doing much better now that he’s out of there, especially here in the warmer air.” He paused for a moment and wrinkled his nose. “Although, he and my mum are getting a little too close for my comfort if you get my drift.”

Hermione laughed. “Yeah, I do. I can’t say I blame you for getting away. I did the same with my parents, but they wanted me to join them on the parasailing excursion.”

Draco looked at her confused. “But you don’t fly.”

“Yeah, but they’ve been trying to include me in everything we’ve done here as this is really our first family holiday since their memories were returned and I just needed some time to myself.”

“Would you like me to leave you alone?”

Hermione pushed her sunglasses on top of her head and regarded Draco for a few silent moments as the sounds of children running along the beach and splashing in the shallows. She grinned. “No, I think I’d like you to stay.”


End file.
